Students at Tacoma's iDEA High School are expected to move into a new building in fall 2028, with the replacement project entering its design development phase and a groundbreaking anticipated in spring 2027.

The School of Industrial Design, Engineering and Art (iDEA) will relocate from its current campus to a new 40,000-square-foot building at the former Gault Middle School site in the McKinley neighborhood, the Puget Sound Business Journal reported in June.

For families, the move means their students will attend a purpose-built facility at a different location.

The project is funded through a $650 million construction bond voters approved in 2024. That bond joined an earlier 2020 bond measure as part of Tacoma Public Schools' broader effort to modernize its buildings.

The district has replaced or renovated 13 schools since 2013 under its Neighborhood Schools Improvement Plan, according to the district's construction page.

Design work is underway. The district's internal Design Advisory Committee met with architects at McGranahan PBK in June to discuss what students and staff need in the new building, according to a Tacoma Public Schools construction update posted July 7. The project team has been developing site plans and schematic designs since that meeting.

The Tacoma Weekly reported Sept. 29 that the project is in design development, with site work and a groundbreaking celebration anticipated in spring 2027. The district's July 7 update placed the groundbreaking on schedule for the first quarter of 2027, a slightly earlier window.

iDEA focuses on industrial design, engineering and the arts. The school will move from its existing campus to the Gault site, though the district has not publicly detailed what prompted the relocation beyond the bond-funded construction program.

The district held a community informational meeting Feb. 25, 2025, at Blix Elementary School, 1302 East 38th St., to discuss plans for the former Gault site. No additional public meetings on the iDEA project have been announced.

Families looking for updates can check the district's construction page. The next major milestone is the spring 2027 groundbreaking.